QPS Holdings, a CRO providing testing services to support preclinical and clinical research and development, announced the completion of its acquisition of Xendo Drug Development (XDD), headquartered in Groningen, The Netherlands.

XDD, a European CRO, will be known as QPS Netherlands BV and become a wholly-owned subsidiary of QPS Holdings, LLC. XDD has large and small molecule bioanalytical laboratories and a dedicated 24-bed clinical pharmacology unit (CPU) located at University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG). Established in 2004, this CPU has performed more than 100 clinical pharmacology studies across all major therapeutic areas. This location provides comprehensive safety monitoring with 24/7 access to hospital-based crash teams and clinical specialists.

XDD also offers an extensive database of healthy volunteers as well as special and patient populations. "Pooling our strengths will enable XDD and QPS to serve our clients even better. Our leading capability in conducting high quality bioanalysis and phase I studies, combined with our well established expertise in ADME, genotyping and drug development process will make QPS an ideal drug development partner for our pharmaceutical and biotech clients worldwide," said Ben Chien, chairman, and CEO of QPS Holdings.

Koos Koops, XDD's former CEO, added, “Joining the QPS organization enables XDD to realize its ambitions for global growth. In terms of activities, size and location, QPS and XDD are a perfect fit. Our combined operations in Asia, Europe and the US position us ideally to expand our portfolios in the increasingly consolidated pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector, our primary market." Koops will head the XDD -QPS Netherlands division of QPS.

Established in 1999, XDD employs more than 100 people, and provides early and late phase clinical development, data management, biometrics, medical writing, bioanalysis and resourcing solutions services. Founded in 1995, QPS has bioanalysis and DMPK facilities at its Newark, Del. headquarters, a laboratory in Taipei, Taiwan, and phase I facility in Missouri.